32 nanometer
Encyclopedia
The 32 nm
process (also called the 32 nanometer node) is the step following the 45 nanometer
process in CMOS
semiconductor device fabrication. 32 nanometer refers to the average half-pitch (i.e., half the distance between identical features) of a memory cell
at this technology level. Intel
and AMD
both produced commercial microchips using the 32 nanometer process in the early 2010s. IBM and the Common Platform
also developed a 32 nm high-k
metal gate process.
Intel began selling its 32 nm processors on January 7, 2010, as Core i3, Core i5, and the dual-core mobile Core i7.
and immersion lithography
in October 2006. The necessity of introducing double patterning and hyper-NA
tools to reduce memory cell area offset some of the cost advantages of moving to this node from the 45 nm node.
TSMC
similarly used double patterning combined with immersion lithography to produce a 32 nm node 0.183 μm2 six-transistor SRAM cell in 2005. IBM
demonstrated a 0.143 μm2 SRAM cell, produced using electron-beam lithography and optical lithography
on the same layer. It was observed that the static noise margin (sensitivity to input voltage fluctuations) degraded significantly in going to such a small SRAM cell size. The poly gate pitch was 135 nm.
Intel revealed the first 32 nm test chips to the public on September 18, 2007, at the Intel Developer Forum. At the release, several technical details were disclosed. A second-generation high-k gate dielectric and metal gate were used. The cell size was 0.182 μm2 and the chip contained almost 2 billion transistors. 193 nm immersion lithography was used for the critical layers, while 193 nm or 248 nm dry lithography was used on less critical layers. The critical pitch was 112.5 nm. At this pitch, the lithography polarization effects are extremely important.
In late October 2007, Samsung
disclosed a 30 nm NAND Flash patterning process, using self-aligned double patterning. Starting from a 60 nm half-pitch pattern, new material was deposited and etched in between features to produce a 30 nm half-pitch pattern. Presumably, this can be repeated once more for 15 nm half-pitch. IM Flash Technologies
launched a 32 Gbit NAND Flash built on 34 nm design rules in May 2008. This design rule could only be accomplished with double patterning
using 193 nm lithography tools.
In January 2011, Samsung completed development of what it claimed was the industry's first DDR4 DRAM
module using a process technology with a size between 30 nm and 39 nm. The module could reportedly achieve data transfer rates of 2.133Gbps at 1.2V, compared to 1.35V and 1.5V DDR3 DRAM at an equivalent 30 nm-class process technology with speeds of up to 1.6Gbps. The module used pseudo open drain (POD) technology, specially adapted to high-performance graphic DRAM to allow DDR4 DRAM to consume just half the current of DDR3 when reading and writing data.
, used the 32 nm manufacturing process. Intel's 6-core processor, codenamed Gulftown
and built on the Westmere architecture, was released on March 16, 2010 as the Core i7 980x Extreme Edition, retailing for approximately USD$1000.
Intel's lower-end 6-core, the i7-970, was released in late July 2010 for approximately USD$900.
AMD also released 32 nm SOI processors in the early 2010s. AMD's FX Series processors, codenamed "Zambezi" and based on AMD's Bulldozer" architecture, were released in October 2011. The technology utilised a 32 nm SOI process, two CPU cores per module, and up to four modules, ranging from a quad-core design costing approximately USD$130 to a $280 eight-core design.
In September 2011, Ambarella Inc.
announced the availability of the A7L system-on-a-chip
, targeting digital still cameras, with 1080p
HD video capabilities.
and 16 nm
nodes, per the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors
. Intel began mass production of 22 nm semiconductors in late 2011, while commercial 16 nm semiconductors are expected to enter production in 2013.
Nanometre
A nanometre is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one billionth of a metre. The name combines the SI prefix nano- with the parent unit name metre .The nanometre is often used to express dimensions on the atomic scale: the diameter...
process (also called the 32 nanometer node) is the step following the 45 nanometer
45 nanometer
Per the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors, the 45 nm technology node should refer to the average half-pitch of a memory cell manufactured at around the 2007–2008 time frame....
process in CMOS
CMOS
Complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor is a technology for constructing integrated circuits. CMOS technology is used in microprocessors, microcontrollers, static RAM, and other digital logic circuits...
semiconductor device fabrication. 32 nanometer refers to the average half-pitch (i.e., half the distance between identical features) of a memory cell
Memory cell
Memory cell may refer to:* Memory cell, a building block of computer data storage*Memory B cell, an antibody producing cell*Memory T cell, an infection fighting cell...
at this technology level. Intel
Intel Corporation
Intel Corporation is an American multinational semiconductor chip maker corporation headquartered in Santa Clara, California, United States and the world's largest semiconductor chip maker, based on revenue. It is the inventor of the x86 series of microprocessors, the processors found in most...
and AMD
Advanced Micro Devices
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. or AMD is an American multinational semiconductor company based in Sunnyvale, California, that develops computer processors and related technologies for commercial and consumer markets...
both produced commercial microchips using the 32 nanometer process in the early 2010s. IBM and the Common Platform
Common Platform
Common Platform is a collaboration between IBM, GlobalFoundries, and Samsung Electronics developed to implement a common process technology across all three companies' semiconductor manufacturing facilities.-External links:*...
also developed a 32 nm high-k
High-k Dielectric
The term high-κ dielectric refers to a material with a high dielectric constant κ used in semiconductor manufacturing processes which replaces the silicon dioxide gate dielectric...
metal gate process.
Intel began selling its 32 nm processors on January 7, 2010, as Core i3, Core i5, and the dual-core mobile Core i7.
Technology demos
Prototypes using 32nm technology first emerged in the mid-2000s. Interuniversity Microelectronics Centre (IMEC) demonstrated a 32 nm Flash patterning capability based on double patterningDouble patterning
Multiple patterning is a class of technologies for manufacturing integrated circuits , developed for photolithography to enhance the feature density. The simplest case of multiple patterning is double patterning, where a conventional lithography process is enhanced to produce double the expected...
and immersion lithography
Immersion lithography
Immersion lithography is a photolithography resolution enhancement technique for manufacturing integrated circuits that replaces the usual air gap between the final lens and the wafer surface with a liquid medium that has a refractive index greater than one. The resolution is increased by a factor...
in October 2006. The necessity of introducing double patterning and hyper-NA
Numerical aperture
In optics, the numerical aperture of an optical system is a dimensionless number that characterizes the range of angles over which the system can accept or emit light. By incorporating index of refraction in its definition, NA has the property that it is constant for a beam as it goes from one...
tools to reduce memory cell area offset some of the cost advantages of moving to this node from the 45 nm node.
TSMC
TSMC
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, Limited or TSMC is the world's largest dedicated independent semiconductor foundry, with its headquarters and main operations located in the Hsinchu Science Park in Hsinchu, Taiwan.-Overview:...
similarly used double patterning combined with immersion lithography to produce a 32 nm node 0.183 μm2 six-transistor SRAM cell in 2005. IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
demonstrated a 0.143 μm2 SRAM cell, produced using electron-beam lithography and optical lithography
Photolithography
Photolithography is a process used in microfabrication to selectively remove parts of a thin film or the bulk of a substrate. It uses light to transfer a geometric pattern from a photomask to a light-sensitive chemical "photoresist", or simply "resist," on the substrate...
on the same layer. It was observed that the static noise margin (sensitivity to input voltage fluctuations) degraded significantly in going to such a small SRAM cell size. The poly gate pitch was 135 nm.
Intel revealed the first 32 nm test chips to the public on September 18, 2007, at the Intel Developer Forum. At the release, several technical details were disclosed. A second-generation high-k gate dielectric and metal gate were used. The cell size was 0.182 μm2 and the chip contained almost 2 billion transistors. 193 nm immersion lithography was used for the critical layers, while 193 nm or 248 nm dry lithography was used on less critical layers. The critical pitch was 112.5 nm. At this pitch, the lithography polarization effects are extremely important.
In late October 2007, Samsung
Samsung
The Samsung Group is a South Korean multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea...
disclosed a 30 nm NAND Flash patterning process, using self-aligned double patterning. Starting from a 60 nm half-pitch pattern, new material was deposited and etched in between features to produce a 30 nm half-pitch pattern. Presumably, this can be repeated once more for 15 nm half-pitch. IM Flash Technologies
IM Flash Technologies
IM Flash Technologies, LLC is the name for the semiconductor company founded in January 2006, by Micron Technology, Inc., one of the world's leading providers of advanced semiconductor solutions, and Intel Corporation, the world’s largest chip maker....
launched a 32 Gbit NAND Flash built on 34 nm design rules in May 2008. This design rule could only be accomplished with double patterning
Double patterning
Multiple patterning is a class of technologies for manufacturing integrated circuits , developed for photolithography to enhance the feature density. The simplest case of multiple patterning is double patterning, where a conventional lithography process is enhanced to produce double the expected...
using 193 nm lithography tools.
In January 2011, Samsung completed development of what it claimed was the industry's first DDR4 DRAM
Dram
Dram or DRAM may refer to:As a unit of measure:* Dram , an imperial unit of mass and volume* Armenian dram, a monetary unit* Dirham, a unit of currency in several Arab nationsOther uses:...
module using a process technology with a size between 30 nm and 39 nm. The module could reportedly achieve data transfer rates of 2.133Gbps at 1.2V, compared to 1.35V and 1.5V DDR3 DRAM at an equivalent 30 nm-class process technology with speeds of up to 1.6Gbps. The module used pseudo open drain (POD) technology, specially adapted to high-performance graphic DRAM to allow DDR4 DRAM to consume just half the current of DDR3 when reading and writing data.
Processors using 32 nm technology
Intel's Core i3 and i5 processors, released in January 2010, were among the first mass-produced processors to use 32 nm technology. Intel's second generation Core processors, codenamed Sandy BridgeSandy Bridge
Sandy Bridge is the codename for a microarchitecture developed by Intel beginning in 2005 for central processing units in computers to replace the Nehalem microarchitecture...
, used the 32 nm manufacturing process. Intel's 6-core processor, codenamed Gulftown
Gulftown (microprocessor)
Gulftown or Westmere-EP is the codename of a six-core hyperthreaded Intel processor able to run up to 12 threads in parallel. It is based on Westmere microarchitecture, the 32 nm shrink of Nehalem. Originally rumored to be called the Intel Core i9, it is sold as an Intel Core i7...
and built on the Westmere architecture, was released on March 16, 2010 as the Core i7 980x Extreme Edition, retailing for approximately USD$1000.
Intel's lower-end 6-core, the i7-970, was released in late July 2010 for approximately USD$900.
AMD also released 32 nm SOI processors in the early 2010s. AMD's FX Series processors, codenamed "Zambezi" and based on AMD's Bulldozer" architecture, were released in October 2011. The technology utilised a 32 nm SOI process, two CPU cores per module, and up to four modules, ranging from a quad-core design costing approximately USD$130 to a $280 eight-core design.
In September 2011, Ambarella Inc.
Ambarella Inc.
Ambarella Inc. is a supplier of processors for professional video compression, digital cameras and IP cameras.- History :Founded in 2004, Ambarella started with professional high definition H.264 Video Encoders for the Broadcast market...
announced the availability of the A7L system-on-a-chip
System-on-a-chip
A system on a chip or system on chip is an integrated circuit that integrates all components of a computer or other electronic system into a single chip. It may contain digital, analog, mixed-signal, and often radio-frequency functions—all on a single chip substrate...
, targeting digital still cameras, with 1080p
1080p
1080p is the shorthand identification for a set of HDTV high-definition video modes that are characterized by 1080 horizontal lines of resolution and progressive scan, meaning the image is not interlaced as is the case with the 1080i display standard....
HD video capabilities.
Successor nodes
The successors to 32 nm technology will be the 22 nm22 nanometer
The 22 nanometer node is the CMOS process step following 32 nm. It was introduced by semiconductor companies in 2011. The typical half-pitch for a memory cell is around 22 nm...
and 16 nm
16 nanometer
The 16 nanometer node is the technology node following the 22 nm node. The exact naming of the technology nodes comes from the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors . By conservative ITRS estimates the 16 nm technology is projected to be reached by semiconductor companies in the...
nodes, per the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors
International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors
The International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors is a set of documents produced by a group of semiconductor industry experts. These experts are representative of the sponsoring organisations which include the Semiconductor Industry Associations of the US, Europe, Japan, South Korea and...
. Intel began mass production of 22 nm semiconductors in late 2011, while commercial 16 nm semiconductors are expected to enter production in 2013.
External links
- Chipmakers gear up for manufacturing hurdles
- Sony, IBM, and Toshiba partnering on semiconductor research
- IBM and AMD partnering on semiconductor research
- Slashdot discussion
- Intel press release
- Intel 32 nm process
- Intel 32 nm SRAM demonstration at IDF 2007
- Samsung self-aligned double patterning technology